Hello Again
by Krile
Summary: A dream, a simulation... or reality? Roxas didn’t care. He was there, she was there, and that was all that mattered to him.


_Disclaimer_: Kingdom Hearts belongs to Square Enix and Disney, not me.

_Italics_ indicate Roxas's inner thoughts.

---

_Hello Again_

by Krile

---

Warm, yet breezy beach-like weather. The slightly worn stone streets. Solid yet cozy-looking homes and shops, lining each road. The ever beautiful sunset, stretching far and wide, forever across the horizon...

Roxas blinked, his once passive face taking on one of shock. Still a bit disoriented, he backed up ever so slowly, taking in the sights he was previously focused on a little more carefully.

He could catch the faint smell of salt in the air, as well as hear the familiar jingle of a train passing overhead, on its usual schedule. And, in the distance, was the unforgettable staple of the entire town - the clock tower, standing tall and proud in all its glory, above the train station.

_What... what is this?_

Roxas slowly shook his head, taking another step back. "This can't be... can it?" He shielded his eyes from the dimming sun's rays, giving his surroundings one last look-over before coming to a conclusion.

"This... this is definitely... Twilight Town."

---

It was the same. It was all the same, and yet... different, somehow. As if... as if it wasn't the same town he had known in the past. As Roxas slowly made his way down the narrow streets, he could see it - could see it in the eyes of the townsfolk as they warily glanced his way. Could just _feel_ it, feel the difference radiating all around his very essence.

This was definitely not the simulated Twilight Town he was used to. This was the real deal.

The question was, though: why was he here in the first place? He was actually _Roxas_,actually_ himself _again - Sora's presence was nowhere to be found.

Was it a dream? If it was, it felt very real... even moreso than that simulation he once called home.

_Home..._

The Twilight Town as he knew it no longer existed, that much Roxas knew. But still, it hurt. Hurt to know that, for all that time, he was living a lie. He had always lived a lie, ever since his creation a year ago - a lie with the Organization, though he still considered Axel one of his best friends, and a lie with the simulation Ansem the Wise had created.

The Destiny Islands weren't even home to him. Maybe to Sora, but... as much as he knew he technically _was_ Sora, at the same time he... wasn't.

He was _Roxas_.

_Roxas_, the Nobody who only wanted to know who he was, why he existed. He had been eternally grateful Naminé showed him the truth, but...

...Sometimes he wished things could have stayed the way they were. The carefree days of summer with Hayner, Pence, and Olette. Just so he could at least _pretend_ there was a place for him; a place to call _home_.

---

"Oof!"

Roxas suddenly snapped out of his thoughts, offering a silent apology to the person he had accidentally run into. How long had he been like that, wandering the streets like some sort of lost puppy? Roxas shook his head, deciding to not think about his current predicament too much, at least not for the moment.

Especially since he started to feel cool, sticky drips running down his hand.

Roxas looked down at his hand, surprised to find a slightly melted stick of sea-salt ice cream held firmly in his grasp. _How did that get there?_ Roxas thought to himself. _Or was I holding it all along...?_ Shrugging, Roxas subconsciously licked at it as he rounded an all-too-familiar street corner...

...Stopping him right in his tracks.

The first things he noticed were the piles of crates, boxes, and various other junk scattered around the area. But Roxas knew that, to him, none of this was _junk_.

It was their daily hangout - what they liked to call the Usual Spot.

Smiling wistfully, Roxas approached the lone crate he used to always sit on, running his free hand along the slightly jagged wooden material. _Even this is the same as- _Roxas stopped suddenly, his smile disappearing. It _was_ the same, but...

"That's right..." Roxas murmured, closing his eyes. "In this Twilight Town, I never existed..."

_This is... not my home anymore. It never was..._

Letting out a deep sigh, Roxas sat down, feeling the familiar grooves and imperfections of "his" old crate as he looked around the area. It definitely was, without a doubt, the Usual Spot. He glanced over at the random mix of boxes and crates and other various seats where Hayner and Pence used to always sit around, and, to his right, the couch. The couch where...

"H-hello?"

Startled by the sudden broken silence once again interrupting his thoughts, Roxas nearly fell off the crate, only to barely balance himself when the person moved forward swiftly, catching his hand.

"Whoa, careful!" the familiar-sounding voice spoke, helping him back up. "I didn't mean to scare you!"

Roxas stared at the concrete as he struggled to catch his breath. "It's... it's okay, it wasn't your fault..." Managing to look up, he was suddenly gazing into a _very_ well-known pair of jade-colored eyes, ones that were staring at him quite intensely.

_Olette...?_

"Oh!" the girl Roxas knew as Olette squeaked, backing away quickly. "S-sorry about that. I was just checking to see how you were..." she trailed off, looking away a little, seemingly embarrassed.

As for Roxas, he couldn't believe his eyes. There, right in front of him, stood Olette, one of the most important people in his life - one who had stood up for him, believed in him... Fond memories they had shared together along with Hayner and Pence began to flood his mind.

Except... this wasn't the Olette he knew from that damned simulation. This Olette was the original, the _real_ Olette; the one of which the fake one was based on. Obviously, she wouldn't remember him. No one would.

Did that mean all his memories were a lie, too...?

"Um," Olette started, looking a little flushed, "would you mind...?" Her gaze lowered to her hand, which he was still holding firmly.

Wincing at his stupidity, Roxas quickly let go. "S-sorry..." he muttered, looking down in embarrassment.

Olette smiled softly, waving her hand. "Don't worry about it," she smiled politely. "I'm Olette. What's your name?"

Roxas had a hard time trying to get used to the situation - the back of his mind was screaming at him to tell her she had known him for _months_, and had so many _great_ times together, but deep down, he knew that wasn't the case anymore. "It's... not important," he spoke slowly, uncomfortably.

"Oh..." Olette answered, a little disappointed, but decided not to pursue the issue further. After all, if the boy didn't want to share any personal information with her, then he certainly wasn't obligated to. But still...

Roxas sighed, unable to even look her way. _This isn't the simulated Olette I knew... even if I told her my name, she wouldn't remember it... and even if she did... _He shook his head. It would probably be some stupid coincidence. Fate _would_ be so cruel.

Sitting down in her usual spot on the couch, Olette continued to look at him, watching his eyes close, leaning back a little. It was only a brief moment, but she had noticed something flicker in his expression. Was it... pain? Olette didn't know, and didn't know why she cared so much _to_ know - yet she continued to watch the boy worriedly, as if it was one of her best friends that was there right in front of her.

Needing her...

After what seemed like an eternity of awkward silence between the two, Olette finally managed to gather enough nerve to speak again. "...This is our hangout spot, you know. I mean, where I always hang out with my friends Hayner and Pence," she paused, thinking of what else to say. "Usually nobody else ever comes here, since this spot is known to be just for the three of us, that's why I was so surprised to find you here..." Noticing Roxas's dejected expression, she quickly shook her head. "But it's fine if you stay here! I don't mind the company, anyway; it gets a little lonely without them around sometimes."

Roxas couldn't resist to ask. "Where are Hayn- er, your friends, anyway?"

Olette let out a small giggle. "Behind on their schoolwork, as usual. I finished mine this morning, so I have some extra time on my hands to relax..."

Roxas almost laughed. _That's just like them, too... and Olette, always the responsible one... I guess some things never change, even from a simulation_. He couldn't help but smile.

"...Ack, your popsicle!"

Gasping, Roxas finally took notice to his half-melted ice cream, desperately trying to lick away the excess dripping while Olette watched on, laughing lightheartedly at his flustered face.

"It's okay, it didn't get on your clothes or anything!" Olette pointed out, her lips curled upwards in amusement. She continued to watch him closely, her brows furrowing as she took in his appearance - short, spiked blonde hair, black and white street clothes that complimented his overall look... and blue eyes. Blue eyes as deep as the ocean, and, by looking at them, Olette could feel herself being pulled _into_ them.

She was _sure_ she had met someone before with those eyes. And not just Sora, either. Someone, in her distant memories, she knew for only a brief amount of time, as if in another life, or solely created in her own psyche, but had left a lasting impact on her, either way.

"Olette?"

This time, it was Olette's turn to be thrown from her thoughts as Roxas stared at her, slightly worried. "I guess it was your turn to space out this time," he said with a slight smile.

Blushing, Olette tried not to think about the familiarity of his presence too much - it sent her mind into such loops that it had made her feel slightly dizzy. "I guess so," she agreed, her eyes deciding to focus, instead, on his ice cream. "Say... what kind of popsicle is that, anyway?" she asked, gesturing towards it.

"H-huh?" Roxas stared at her, a little bewildered, then down at the ice cream. How could she not know what sea-salt ice cream was? Then it dawned on him. _That's right... only the simulated Twilight Town had this ice cream. The real thing was only recently reinvented..._ Trying not to let the thought depress him, he looked back at her, managing a small smile. "It's... it's called sea-salt ice cream."

"Sea-salt?" Olette wrinkled her nose a bit in disgust. "Doesn't that sound a bit gross?"

This time Roxas _did_ manage to let out a laugh. "I thought so too at first! But it's really good once you try it - my friends showed me that." Roxas smiled to himself at the memory, even if it was a simulated one. At that point, he didn't think much to care.

"Really?" Olette studied his ice cream for a few moments, debating on whether or not to ask. "Could I... try some?" she finally let out, her face darkening. After all, it wasn't every day she went around asking near strangers for a taste of their own ice cream.

The blonde found himself blushing as well, though he normally never did such a thing. Flustered, sure, but blushing? "S-sure..." he replied hoarsely, holding out the salty treat to her.

Olette hesitantly leaned forward, taking the ice cream from his grasp, and, after a pause, gave it a little lick. "...Ew, salty!" she spat out, sticking out her tongue.

Roxas grinned and, deciding to be bold, leaned forward so that the two of them were facing each other. "It gets better."

"Better?" Olette asked incredulously, giving it another lick. "How can it get any bet- ooh, sweet!" she exclaimed, surprised at the sudden difference in taste.

"Told ya!" Roxas triumphed, taking the ice cream back from her to taste some more of it.

Olette pouted. "Heey, that's not fair, I wasn't finished!" She leaned forward some more, grabbing for the ice cream as the boy laughed fully, trying to keep it from her grasp.

"You'll have to try harder than that!" Roxas teased, holding the salty treat high in the air, as far away from her as possible while reveling in her determination. _She did always love the stuff back in my Twilight Town..._ he thought, almost fondly this time.

Olette began giggling uncontrollably, her own inhibitions vanishing they more they fooled around. "Okay wise guy, you asked for it!" That said, she quickly lunged forward and upwards, managing to grab hold of the stick, and toppling completely off the couch in the process...

...Right on the unsuspecting Roxas.

---

It was as if time itself had stopped.

Roxas and Olette each tried to register what just happened; they were laughing and having fun like they had known each other for years at one moment, but then... then...

Olette, for one, didn't know _what_ to think. There she was, leaning against the chest of this boy - a boy she had only just _met_, and didn't even know his_ name_ - in an obvious intimate way. Her first impulse was to push Roxas away and _run_, to run far away from there, to pretend none of it had ever happened. Yet... at the same time, deep down, part of her wasn't so freaked out about the whole thing. Part of her felt... almost _right_, like this, right there, with him.

Still, it didn't stop her from feeling utterly mortified that she was careless enough to let herself fall so easily in the first place. "I'm... I'm so sorry!" she managed to choke out after a moment, eyes closed in shame, pulling away from him a little. "I can't believe how clumsy I can be sometimes, and the accident was _totally_ my fault, so if you can't forgive me, then I unders-" The last words were stuck in her throat as she opened her eyes again, finding herself looking into the strange boy's slightly misty ones. Was he... crying?

Roxas finally managed to shake his head slowly, a bitter smile on his face as he looked at her. "D-don't... don't say you're sorry," he near whispered. "I'm the one who should be sorry..."

Olette was about to ask why _he_ should be the one to be sorry, when suddenly she felt his arms circle around her waist, pulling her closer to him one again in a firm embrace, resting his head against her cheek. Wide-eyed, she could only stare while he hugged her against him as if his whole life depended on it.

_Forgive me, Olette... you may not know who I am, but I... I..._

It was strange. Roxas knew that, to him, Olette was one of his best friends, as close to his heart as any of his other friends were. He had always felt companionship with her, with Hayner and Pence, with Axel. And with Naminé, an extra sense of kinship. However, at that moment in time, he suddenly felt something... different, for the girl he held. Something he had always seemed to feel, yet never realized it, until that moment.

Meanwhile, the girl in question was beginning to relax, her eyes closing partially, letting herself be held. Truthfully, Olette still didn't quite get what was going on, but she couldn't deny what her own feelings were telling her. Her own _heart._

And Roxas, though without a heart to call his own, could still feel the emotion radiating from the brunette in his arms, and from the heart he shared with Sora.

Damn being a Nobody! Damn it to Hell! He _did_ have emotions. He could swear to the heavens he _did_. And right then, they were telling him to...

A small squeak emitted from Olette as the blonde stranger suddenly swooped down, capturing her lips with his in the process. His tears flowing freely now, Roxas placed his hands on each side of her face, deepening the kiss he so wanted from her. _Needed _from her.

_This... this may be the last chance I have to be _myself_ again... Olette, I need you... I need you to help take away from the pain... the truth..._

And as suddenly as it had started, the kiss stopped, Roxas moving away slowly. Fully expecting to see the horrified and disgusted look on Olette's face, he refused to open his eyes at first.

A small caress of his cheek was all it took for him to open them again and face reality.

Flushed, the brown-haired girl stared up at him, but not with the angry or upset look he had thought she would have. Instead, she gazed at him with... longing?

"I... have no idea what is going on with me... with us," she began, a little breathless, "but what I feel now... I... I only just met you, but... what I mean is-" she paused, looking away a little, blushing deeply.

"...I feel as though I had been waiting for that kiss from you _forever_."

At a loss for words, Roxas could only sit there, shell-shocked. He didn't even register the fact that he had just kissed her, or that she was still sitting on his lap, anymore. All he could think about was her words. No way would this Olette have any recollection of him, right? After all, the Twilight Town _he_ had lived in was different. Completely different.

Or... was it?

Finally coming to his senses, Roxas slowly stood up, placing Olette down next to him. "Listen, about that... I, er, I didn't mean for any of that to happen, and..."

Placing a finger on his lips, Olette just shook her head, a timid smile gracing her features. "I know. Don't worry, it can be our little secret, okay?" she winked, wagging her finger at him coyly.

Roxas just had to smile at that, remembering how she used to always use that gesture when indicating little secrets between friends. "Right. Just our secret..."

_Maybe... just maybe... this Twilight Town isn't as different as I once thought..._

---

"_Sora!" a feminine voice called, distantly, "You didn't fall asleep on the beach again, did you? C'mon, get up! It's nearly dark!"_

---

"Ah!" Roxas cried out suddenly, clutching his chest, his face grimacing in slight pain.

"Huh?" Olette looked him up and down, worry-stricken. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

Moving away from her, Roxas looked up at the sky. Indeed, it was becoming dark - even the seemingly perpetual dusk-covered town was darkening into that of night.

This was it.

"Olette..." Roxas started, not knowing what to say. "I... I have to go."

Confusion and disappointment immediately became evident on the brunette's face. "Go? But... you just got here! I... I just got to meet you, and..."

"I know," Roxas cut her off, turning to leave. "I'm sorry."

"Will you come back?"

Roxas just shook his head. "I don't know..."

"Please!" Olette cried out, moving over to him and grabbing his arm. "You _have_ to come back! You just _have_ to! I want you to meet Hayner and Pence - they'd think you're cool! And we can show you the Sandlot, if Seifer and his gang aren't there, anyway, and then we can-"

"Stop!" Roxas near-yelled, pushing her away from him. "Please... just stop!" The more she spoke, the more he regretted ever coming to this Twilight Town in the first place. He knew someone would be hurt in the end... and it wouldn't be just him, either.

"But-!"

He didn't give her time to say anything else, this time breaking into a run, just wanting to get away... away before-

"_ROXAS_!"

-his whole world suddenly stopped.

---

Silence.

If time had been frozen before, this time it was as cold and dead as the surface of uninhabited, faraway lands themselves.

It took awhile for Roxas to move again, to _breathe_ again, before he was able to turn to face the girl... the girl he cared for deeper than he had ever imagined before...

The girl who had just spoke his name...

Illuminated by the pale moonlight, Olette stood there, shaking, her hands clasped to her chest. Crying.

If Roxas had a heart to call his own, it would be breaking right about then.

Or maybe, somewhere, Sora's was, without him even knowing.

"Roxas..." Olette whispered his name over and over, voice quivering. "Roxas..." The name felt completely alien on her tongue, but at the same time... "That's... your name, isn't it." It was a statement, not a question.

Swallowing a large lump in his throat, all Roxas could do was nod.

"I... I have no idea how I knew that, but... ever since you came here, I've felt as though, for some crazy reason, that I know you. That I always _have_ known you." She shook her head, feeling overwhelmed by the revelation. "Maybe it's true. Or maybe... we really have just met, and I'm just seeing things, feeling things I shouldn't. I really don't know..."

Another jolt of pain took over Roxas as he hunched forward, gasping slightly, barely able to register her words. Olette could only watch him, tears still falling freely from her eyes in morose.

"All I _do_ know is, though..."

Looking up from his hunched over position, he noticed that Olette had bravely moved forward, standing right in front of him, her hand outstretched.

"...That I want you to come back," she said, firmly. "Promise me...?"

He couldn't. How could he? For all he knew, the little escapade he had was just a fluke, or a dream - and afterwards, he would be united with Sora once again, never to return to Twilight Town... An empty promise would only leave the brunette even more heartbroken in the end...

Another tug forced its way into Roxas's chest. This time, however, the pain was... different? He couldn't even begin to describe it, but at that moment, he suddenly just... _knew_.

The first thing Olette felt was a small tickle on her palm. Then... _warmth_. Opening her tear-stained eyelids, she looked at her hand, held in his - the firmness of his hold, yet the gentleness of his touch spoke volumes.

Tilting her chin up to look at him directly, Roxas was finally able to smile again. A genuine smile. "...I promise," he spoke, not a single bit of doubt in his voice. "Someday, somehow, somewhere... I'll come back to you."

_I'm glad, Olette, that we got to meet again. Even if you don't fully remember me, at least there still is someplace left for me in your heart... and you in mine, Nobody or not... _

And before she even knew it, he was gone, leaving her cold once more.

Cold, yet full of hope.

"Roxas..."

Wiping the rest of her tears away, Olette walked over to the crate where Roxas sat, picking up the melted stick of sea-salt ice cream. Smiling wistfully, she held it close to her as she looked up at the sparkling sky, full of stars.

"Until we meet again..."

---

Elsewhere, atop the majestic clock tower, a blonde-haired girl hummed to herself, the stark white paper in her arms seemingly coming to life with each stroke of the soft marker in her hand, applying the finishing touches to her work.

"Done!" she exclaimed finally after a few moments, holding her work away to study it. Satisfied with the way it turned out, she smiled.

"Because even Nobodies like us deserve happiness... Roxas..."

With that, the girl vanished, leaving her drawing behind... a drawing of a blonde boy, smiling like he had never smiled before, with an equally happy brunette girl, the two of them sharing a stick of sea-salt ice cream.

Together.

_fin_

---

_Author's Note:_ I had originally planned to retire from writing fanfiction, but the idea for this story had been floating around my mind for weeks, basically not leaving me alone until I finally typed it up.

With this, I had wanted to get a good grasp on Roxas's struggling emotions with the idea that he was only living in a simulated world, with only simulated versions of his best friends, since not many other stories, especially not Roxas/Olette ones, really get into that whole aspect. Yet, all the same, they recognized Sora anyway, giving the possibility that the fake hearts of the simulation were connected to their real selves moreso than we thought.

As for the sea-salt ice cream, I had wanted it to play as big a part in this story as it was in the game, especially since the treat was only in the simulation, not the real Twilight Town (you can tell since it was one of the only objects out-of-place there, plus Hayner and Pence having to ask Sora what kind of ice cream the code was). Why was he holding it in the first place without realizing it? Ask Naminé. ;)

Either way, I hope I did a decent job with this, and hope Roxas and Olette weren't terribly OOC - strong emotions can always make a character act not quite like themselves, but not so much as it wouldn't be believable, I think. And as for the romance... I'll admit, I'm a Roxas/Olette fan, and, although they're definitely a non-canon pairing, and just friends in the game, I wanted to explore the possibilities for potential deeper feelings, because you never know when love can strike.

Anyway, thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed finally getting down to writing it!


End file.
